Nationally known Tennessee Walking Horse
trainer Jackie McConnell and several of his associates have been indicted on 52
counts of violating the federal Horse Protection Act (including 18 felony
counts), and also charged with numerous violations of the Tennessee Cruelty to
Animals Statute.

The Humane Society of the United States is assisting the
Tennessee 25th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s
Office, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector
General with the rescue of horses from McConnell’s training operation.

Undercover investigation

The indictments, criminal charges and horse
rescue come on the heels of an extensive investigation into the walking horse
industry by The HSUS, which shows that the high-stepping gait or "big
lick" of the Tennessee Walking Horse often comes at a painful price. As
described in the indictment, the trainers used painful chemicals on the horses’
front legs, using pain to force them to have an artificially high-stepping gait
for show competitions. This cruel practice, known as “soring,”
has been illegal for more than 40 years under the federal Horse Protection Act.

Excruciating training methods

Soring is also specifically prohibited by
Tennessee’s animal cruelty law. In addition to soring, HSUS documented horses
being whipped, kicked, shocked in the face and violently cracked across the
heads and legs with heavy wooden sticks. In some cases, their tails were
mutilated with scissors and blades in order to make them appear flashier in the
show ring – leaving behind untreated bleeding wounds. During The HSUS
investigation, a young filly named Master Streaker was so painfully sore that
McConnell himself referred to her as “paralyzed.”

“The cruel training methods documented
throughout our investigation are sickening to watch for any horse lover, and
show the immense suffering horses often endure simply for the sake of a
high-stepping gait,” said Keith Dane, director of equine protection for The
HSUS and Maryland director of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and
Exhibitors Association. “Horses entertain us and provide us companionship, and
should not be subject to this horrible cruelty and abuse.” Dane is also the
former president of one of the leading organizations dedicated to the humane
care, treatment, and training of gaited horses.

Federal action

The HSUS expressed its thanks to U.S.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Attorney William C. Killian of the
Eastern District of Tennessee, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Neff and Kent
Anderson, the USDA’s Office of the Inspector General, and District Attorney
General D. Michael Dunavant and Assistant District Attorney General Mark E.
Davidson for the Tennessee 25th Judicial District for taking decisive action in
this case.

The Horse Protection Act must be made stronger

Many winning trainers in the walking horse
industry have repeatedly been found in violation of the Horse Protection Act,
yet continue to train and sore horses for customers while on suspension from showing.
Jackie McConnell was on a five year federal disqualification from showing at
the time of the HSUS investigation. The HSUS is calling on Congress to increase
funding for USDA’s enforcement of the Horse Protection Act to crack down on
this rampant abuse in the industry.

Just the most recent case

The state and federal charges against
McConnell and his associates follow another recent federal criminal prosecution
involving the practice of horse “soring.” Last year, a federal grand jury
returned a 34-count indictment against Tennessee
horse trainer Barney Davis and three others, charging them with violations
of the Horse Protection Act and related financial crimes. Davis was further
charged with fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. He pleaded guilty to
several counts last November, and earlier this week a federal judge sentenced
him to serve more than a year in prison.

The HSUS was provided pro bono counsel in the
matter by the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins LLP.

Facts about soring

The most common form of soring
is performed by applying caustic chemicals to the pasterns (ankles) of
show horses — sensitizing the area and forcing the horse to lift his
front legs high off the ground in reaction to the pain. The horses
are then ridden and shown with metal chains around their ankles, which
further accentuate the high-stepping action with each painful stride.
Soring often leaves telltale scars, including tissue change, calluses,
bleeding, inflammation, and skin and hair loss—all of which are evidence
of this cruel and illegal practice.

Several horse industry
organizations that are certified by USDA to conduct HPA inspections have
consistently failed to detect and disqualify non-compliant horses at a
rate comparable to that of the agency's own veterinary medical officers.
Yet no such organization has ever been decertified for non-compliance, as
authorized by the HPA and regulations.

A 2010 USDA Office of Inspector
General audit exposed how those in the walking horse industry work to
evade detection, rather than comply with federal law and train horses
humanely. The audit stated that the USDA needs more funding for full
enforcement of the Act.

In 2010, The HSUS filed a legal
petition with USDA that asked the agency to take steps to improve its
enforcement of the Act. In a positive move, Congress passed a 2012
agriculture appropriations bill that increased funding for HPA enforcement
by nearly 40 percent.